Search Results for "engraved security printing" - Collection

Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

Australia 1877 - City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The engraving is a characteristic example of Bradbury Wilkinson’s late Victorian security printing: a bold central title cartouche, finely balanced allegorical figures symbolizing commerce and navigation, and dense lathe-work designed to defeat contemporary counterfeiting. These elements were not decorative excess, but functional security features exported from London to colonial issuers seeking credibility and trust in rapidly expanding financial markets. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen187720 PoundsPMG 62 Uncirculated Specimen20 PoundsCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesVictoria Banking HistoryPre-Federation FinanceGold Rush Era BankingSecurity Printing History19th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaVictoria1877PMG 62Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 proof, circa 1905–1910, PMG 63 EPQ

Australia 1905–1910 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Bradbury Wilkinson’s master plates reflect the mature internationalisation of security printing. By 1905–1910, Australian banks increasingly relied on London engravers for their highest-grade notes, as BWC offered complex tint-stone methods, deep intaglio capability, and anti-counterfeiting technologies unattainable in most colonial print shops. These proof specimens were the pinnacle of that relationship, produced in tiny numbers for board approval, archival retention, or printer-client authentication. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen Proof19055 PoundsPMG 63 EPQ (Top Pop) Specimen5 PoundsSpecimen ProofProofPick UnlistedCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCLarge SizePre-FederationColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesSydney Banking HistorySecurity Printing HistoryEdwardian DesignBritish Engraving InfluenceTransition to Commonwealth CurrencyEarly 20th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaSydney190519101905–1910PMG 63 EPQTop PopMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Australia 1889 Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 specimen with serial number prefix, perforated SPECIMEN, printer annotation dated 1 March 1890

Australia 1880–1889 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 SPECIMEN with Serial Prefix (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

The note is perforated SPECIMEN across the face and lacks manuscript signatures, confirming its exclusion from any intended issuance workflow. Serial numbers appear at both sides of the face, consistent with bank and printer audit material rather than circulation stock. A pencil annotation dated 1 March 1890 is present in the upper margin, recording a printer or bank-side control date. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix18895 PoundsUncirculated SpecimenSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix5 PoundsCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesNew South Wales Banking HistoryPre-Federation Finance19th Century BankingSecurity Printing HistoryAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaSydney1889Museum GradeR8 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Mauritius 1839 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled Note (Pick S125)

Printed by Myers Frs. & Co. of London, the note displays the earliest state of the Port Louis harbor vignette, a detailed maritime scene portraying the colony’s commercial lifeline. This vignette-used later in modified form on the 1842 and 1843 series-stands among the first engraved representations of Mauritius ever to appear on paper money. The absence of the later red overprint reinforces its status as the first design generation in Mauritius’ dual-currency (dollars / sterling) lineage. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note183920 Dollars / 4 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled20 Dollars4 PoundsColonial CurrencyDual-CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1839Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1870–1890 Bank of New Zealand 1 Pound Green Specimen Pick S191s, dual serial numbers A197001 and B047000, perforated CANCELLED, Bradbury Wilkinson printing, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated

New Zealand 1870–1890 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Green Specimen (Pick S191s)

The first Bank of New Zealand specimen and the foundation of the country’s pre-Reserve Bank note lineage. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, this one pound green specimen (Pick S191s) established the visual architecture reused throughout all later BNZ issues: paired Māori figures at left, an engraved coastal vignette below, and an ornate duty-tint panel framing the ONE POUND denomination. This design became the structural and visual origin of the Bank of New Zealand color lineage that defined New Zealand’s early commercial-bank currency. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen18701 PoundPMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated Specimen1 PoundBank of New ZealandBradbury WilkinsonBWCDual Serial NumbersA197001B047000Perforated CANCELLEDAudit MarginPrinter Control SystemColonial IssueVictorian DesignMāori Portrait SeriesEngraved Security PrintingNew Zealand Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankBNZ Color LineageColor Lineage Origin19th Century OceaniaMaritime Economy NotesEarly Indigenous ImageryBritish Colonial FinanceHistoryNew Zealand187018901870–1890Pick S191sPMG 58Choice About UncirculatedMuseum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1895–1915 Bank of New Zealand 5 Pounds Orange Specimen Pick S192s with dual serial numbers A000001 and A020000, perforated CANCELLED marking, left audit margin, and dated top margin printer annotations, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, PMG 55 About Uncirculated.

New Zealand 1895–1915 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Orange Specimen (Pick S192s)

Across the upper margin, multiple handwritten annotations are present, including the notation '073207 24.6.15', which corresponds to a dated printer’s ledger or batch control entry-interpretable as 24 June 1915. These annotations document the note’s passage through production oversight stages, including review, approval, and archival filing. Such markings are rarely preserved and provide direct physical evidence of internal workflow processes within the printing house. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen18955 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated Specimen5 PoundsBank of New ZealandBradbury WilkinsonBWCA Prefix SpecimenA000001A020000Dual Serial NumbersPrinter Control NumberingPerforated CANCELLEDAudit Margin LeftPrinter AnnotationsTop Margin AnnotationDated Annotation 1915Printer Ledger MarkingsColonial IssueHigh DenominationEdwardian DesignMāori Portrait SeriesEngraved Security PrintingNew Zealand Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankBNZ Color LineageVictorian to Edwardian TransitionMaritime Economy NotesBritish Colonial FinanceSecurity Printing HistoryOceania NumismaticsHistoryNew Zealand189519151895-1915Pick S192sPMG 55Museum GradeR7 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Mexico 1884 Fabrica de Tunal 1 Peso ABNC PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated serial A07769

Mexico 1884 – Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso (Pick Unlisted, ABNC)

This note’s preservation is extraordinary. Crisp tint, unbroken plate impression, strong paper, and full margins underscore the PMG 64 CU grade, positioning it among the finest survivors of any issued ABNC corporate 19th-century Mexican note. As both a financial artifact and a cultural record, the Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso stands as a rare document of Mexico’s industrial ascent and the globalization of U.S. security-printing techniques. Read more →

MexicoIssued Note18841 PesoPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Private Issue1 PesoABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyCorporate CurrencyIndustrial ScripEngraved Security PrintingPorfiriatoIndustrial FinanceMining Region CurrencyMexican Private BanknotesSilver StandardDurango Monetary HistoryRegional CirculationPayroll InstrumentsLatin American EngravingABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyPick UnlistedMexicoDurango1884PMG 64Museum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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Mauritius 1842 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled (Pick S122a)

Printed by Myers Frs. & Co. of London, this note belongs to the very first phase of British-engraved Mauritian currency, predating the later involvement of Perkins Bacon, Waterlow, and De La Rue. Myers was known for fine but relatively small-scale security printing, making these earliest issues scarce even at their time of production. Their survival rate is extremely low due to heavy circulation, environmental humidity, and routine destruction during bank redemptions. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note184210 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1842Museum GradeR6 Extremely Rare

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Mauritius 1843 Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder, PMG 50 NET

Mauritius 1843 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder (Pick S122r)

This note represents the archival stock of the 1840s issue - printed but never signed or circulated. It carries the same engraving and layout as the fully issued 1842 Ten Dollars / Two Pounds Sterling notes, showing the Port Louis harbor with moored vessels, bonded warehouses, and the neoclassical bank building anchoring the composition. The vignette is among the earliest engraved landscapes used on any Mauritian banknote, reflecting the colony’s maritime identity and its economic dependence on shipping and re-export trade. Read more →

MauritiusRemainder184310 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingPMG 50 NET (Ink Burn) Remainder10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingInk BurnMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance1840s Currency Reform19th Century BanknotesMauritiusPort Louis1843PMG 50Museum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Argentina 1881 Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2 Pesos Oro Proof, PMG 64 Top Pop

Argentina 1881 - Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2 Pesos Oro Proof (Pick S536fp)

Historically, the Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires played a central role in Argentina’s economic development. Founded in 1822 and operating as a hybrid provincial–national entity, it served as the fiscal engine of Buenos Aires-the country’s largest port, commercial hub, and financial capital. The bank financed infrastructure, immigration, agriculture, and early industrialization, and its banknotes dominated circulation in the Rio de la Plata region until national consolidation in the late 1880s. Read more →

ArgentinaProof18812 Pesos OroPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop) Proof2 Pesos OroArchivalTop PopEngraved Security PrintingBanco de la Provincia de Buenos AiresArgentine Provincial Banks19th Century BankingPesos Oro SeriesABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyLatin American NumismaticsPre-National ConsolidationProvincial Monetary HistoryArgentinaBuenos Aires18811883PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1924–1925 Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof Pick S231p1 with SPECIMEN perforation, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.

New Zealand 1924–1925 - Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation (Pick S231p1)

Front proof of the Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings (Pick S231p1), printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the post-war re-engraved issue dated 1924–25. Perforated SPECIMEN through the lower margin and certified by PMG as Choice Uncirculated 63 Top Pop, this example shows the completed obverse design prior to overprinting and serial application. Read more →

New ZealandFront Proof192410 ShillingsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop, Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation) Front Proof10 ShillingsSpecimen PerforationIntaglioBradbury WilkinsonBWCTamati Waka NeneBank of New ZealandNew Zealand Banking HistoryPre-Reserve BankPrivate Banknote EraInterwar Currency DesignEngraved Security PrintingLate Edwardian PlateworkTint-Stone UnderprintMāori Portrait SeriesNew Zealand192419251924–1925PMG 63Top PopMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Argentina 1867 Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 4 Reales Plata Boliviana proof, PCGS 63

Argentina 1867 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 4 Reales Plata Boliviana Proof (Pick S1734p)

Produced in classic 19th-century proof format, the note displays wide margins, crisp engraving lines, and lacks signatures or serial numbers, confirming its archival status rather than an issued example. Such proofs were retained by the printer or provided to the client bank for approval before mass production. The craftsmanship demonstrates the influence of the American Bank Note Company’s New York studio, which was instrumental in introducing advanced intaglio printing and anti-counterfeiting design to South America. Read more →

ArgentinaProof18674 RealesPCGS 63 Choice New Pick S1734p4 RealesProofABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyBanco de Londres y Rio de la PlataRosarioBritish-Argentine BankingEngraved Security PrintingMoneda Boliviana StandardPre-Decimal ArgentinaTransitional CurrencyLivestock EconomyCattle Trade SymbolismProvincial Banking19th Century ArgentinaFrontier Monetary HistoryArgentina1867Choice NewMuseum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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